MAPK signaling regulates endothelial cell assembly into networks and expression of MT1-MMP and MMP-2.
Microvascular endothelial cells embedded within three-dimensional (3D) type I collagen matrixes assemble into cellular networks, a process that requires the upregulation of membrane type 1 ( MT1) matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and MMP-2. The purpose of this study was to identify the signaling pathways responsible for the transcriptional activation of MT1-MMP and MMP-2 in endothelial cells in 3D collagen lattices. We hypothesized that the 3D type I collagen induction of MT1-MMP and MMP-2 is mediated by the mitogen-activated protein kinase family of enzymes. Here, we show that 3D type I collagen elicits a persistent increase in ERK1/2 and JNK activation and a decrease in p38 activation. Inhibition of ERK1/2 or JNK disrupted endothelial network formation in 3D type I collagen lattices, whereas inhibition of p38 promoted network formation. mRNA levels of both MT1-MMP and MMP-2 were attenuated by ERK1/2 inhibition but unaffected by either JNK or p38 inhibition. By contrast, expression of constitutively active MEK was sufficient to stimulate MMP-2 production in a monolayer of endothelial cells cultured on type I collagen. These results provide evidence that signaling through both ERK1/2 and JNK regulates endothelial assembly into cellular networks but that the ERK1/2 signaling cascade specifically regulates network formation and the production of both MT1-MMP and MMP-2 genes in response to 3D type I collagen.[1]References
- MAPK signaling regulates endothelial cell assembly into networks and expression of MT1-MMP and MMP-2. Boyd, P.J., Doyle, J., Gee, E., Pallan, S., Haas, T.L. Am. J. Physiol., Cell Physiol. (2005) [Pubmed]
Annotations and hyperlinks in this abstract are from individual authors of WikiGenes or automatically generated by the WikiGenes Data Mining Engine. The abstract is from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.About WikiGenesOpen Access LicencePrivacy PolicyTerms of Useapsburg